The following steps must be completed prior to planting:
Note: These steps are carried out by Pauli lab members a few weeks before planting.
After completing these steps, the field will look like Figure @ref(fig:fieldplot).
South gantry field with shaped raised beds, sprinkler irrigation, and strings and stakes.
Lettuce planting generally occurs around Mid-November to early-December. The mean air temperature during this time has previously ranged from 10 °C to 22 °C (Figure @ref(fig:tempplot)).
Mean air temperature data collected by The Arizona Meteorologial Network (AZMET). Orange vertical lines represent the day of planting. DOP, day of planting; S13, season 13; S15, season 15; S17, season 17.
Planting is done by hand using Earthway garden seed planters (Figure @ref(fig:plantingplot) Left). Lettuce seeds must be planted at a depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. At the bottom of the seed planter, there is an adjustable screw for setting the planting depth - make sure this is set to an acceptable depth. Also, make sure that the chain is not tangled, as it is meant to cover the soil after the planter penetrates the soil during planting.
The planters were modified by fitting them with funnels and tubing that allows the user to manually feed the small lettuce seeds instead of using the provided seed container/plates. Planting is carried out by members of the Pauli, Arnold, and Michelmore labs. People are paired up: one person is responsible for planting the seeds, the other is responsible for ensuring the correct plot numbers are being planted and that the correct seed is provided to the person planting (Figure @ref(fig:plantingplot) Right).